Fox Island man who reported his girlfriend’s ‘suicide’ now charged with murder
Editor’s note: This story includes discussion of suicide.
A Fox Island man is accused of fatally shooting his 27-year-old girlfriend after reporting her death as a suicide over the weekend.
Prosecutors charged Lars Eugene Nelson, 29, with second-degree murder for the shooting that happened at his father’s property in the 800 block of Fox Drive on Sunday, according to charging documents.
Emotions ran high during Nelson’s arraignment at Pierce County Superior Court. The courtroom was nearly packed with members of the defendant’s and the woman’s families, who sat on separate sides of the aisle.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Dalton Smith alleged the shooting was planned several days in advance and that the victim might have convinced Nelson to shoot her as she slept.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Nelson’s behalf. Before Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set Nelson’s $750,000 bail, she heard from the woman’s father, who opposed the defendant having supervised release.
“Lars is a young man that we brought into our home for a good period of time. He lived in our home and we entrusted him with our daughter,” Mark Tinney, the victim’s father, said.
Tinney said his family’s only goal is to find out the facts of the incident and “let justice be done as it’s seen fit.”
“I don’t know what may have been going on in this young man’s mind, but he’s going to have to live with this, and I don’t wish it on anyone,” Tinney said.
Defense attorney Michael Stewart, argued for bail to be set at $500,000. Members of Nelson’s family, family friends and neighbors submitted letters of support for the defendant. Stewart said Nelson was not a flight risk or a danger to others.
Before McInvaille set the prosecution’s recommended bail, she said it was “one of the most tragic cases” that she has seen in her courtroom.
The victim’s name has not yet been released, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Charging details
Pierce County deputies were dispatched to a home after a call came in from a man at 5:30 a.m., later identified as Nelson, who reported that his girlfriend fatally shot herself. Charging documents show that when deputies arrived, Nelson invoked his Miranda rights. Deputies eventually became concerned about the woman’s manner of death.
When Nelson was arrested at 5:15 p.m., he allegedly “did not seem surprised,” documents show.
The victim was found in a bed , and there was “significant trauma” at the top of her head. A gun was found at the scene and it was reportedly registered to Nelson.
Detectives learned that about a week before the shooting, the woman’s friend reported twice that the victim made suicidal threats on an instant messaging site called Discord, documents show. She also mentioned that Nelson was her roommate.
The woman’s mother requested a welfare check on April 18, saying her daughter had been texting “suicidal ideations,” documents show. After the shooting, the woman’s parents told detectives details of their daughter’s mental health history and said her depression “spiraled” when she was a pre-teen. They also described Nelson and the woman’s relationship as “co-dependent.”
Her parents said the day before the welfare check was called in, the victim told her mother over the phone that Nelson “would help end her suffering,” documents show. Her parents said Nelson and their daughter might have had a “suicide pact.” They alleged that Nelson might have assisted their daughter in killing herself.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner reportedly discovered three gunshot wounds in the woman’s head and indicated to detectives her death would not be ruled a suicide, documents show.
Nelson does not have any previous criminal history, court records show. He remained in custody at the Pierce County Jail as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 4:19 PM.
